Sony Releases Two New Super Telephoto Lenses - Sony FE 200-600mm and FE 600mm

Sony FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3 G OSS

The first – and more affordable – lens of the two is the Sony FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3 G OSS. As its name suggests, this zoom super telephoto lens goes from 200 to 600mm with a variable aperture from F/5.6 at 200mm up to F/6.3 at 600mm. The lens doesn’t “extend” when you zoom-in, thanks to an internal zoom mechanism. It is compatible with all full-frame E-mount cameras.

The Sony FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3 G OSS is compatible with Sony’s 1.4x and 2.0x teleconverters. With the 1.4x teleconverter, you end up with a 280-840mm F/9 – at maximum reach – zoom lens. With the 2.0x teleconverter, you get a 400-1200mm F/13 ultra telephoto lens. The minimum focusing distance is 7.88’/2.4 m.

In term of design, this zoom lens consists of 17 elements in 24 groups and features an 11-blade circular aperture mechanism. There are five ED (extra-low dispersion) glass elements and one aspherical lens.

On top of that, the lens is coated, using Sony’s original Nano AR coating. All this should reduce/suppress chromatic aberrations, reflections, glare, and ghosting. Finally, there is a fluorine coating on the front element to resist dirt and fingerprints. The front filter size is 95mm.

This lens is a G series lens, so it is dust and moisture resistant. Additionally, it features a Direct Drive SSM autofocus system and Optical SteadyShot image stabilization with three built-in modes that you can choose from. The total weight is 4.67 lb/2.12 kg.

Sony FE 600mm F/4 GM OSS

With these two new additions, the E-mount lens line-up now features 33 full-frame models and 51 lenses in total. The longest in the line was the Sony FE 400 mm F/2.8 GM OSS, until the new Sony FE 600mm F/4 GM OSS announcement. This lens is not your day-to-day lens, but if you are a news, sports, or even wildlife photographer/filmmaker, this one can be useful. If you need to go longer, this Sony FE 600mm F/4 GM OSS is compatible with Sony’s 1.4x & 2.0x teleconverters.

The lens features 24 elements in 18 groups – and like the FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3 G OSS – an 11-blade circular aperture. Indeed, there are three fluorite elements and one XA (extreme aspherical) element to help with chromatic aberration. There are two ED elements and the same Nano AR coating, as with the 200-600mm, to reduce flare, ghosting, and spherical aberrations. Finally, there is a drop-in filter slot at the back of the lens that takes 40.5mm filters.

The body is made of magnesium alloy, and it is dust/moisture-resistant. For filmmakers, there is a Power Focus functionality, which provides smooth and even focus while shooting movies. The various buttons and switches on the lens body are for image stabilization, focus limiting, the function ring preset, and Direct Manual Focus. Additionally, there are four focus hold buttons in different locations on the lens barrel that can be customized via the in-camera body menu.

Pricing and Availability

Both lenses should be available in August this year. The Sony FE 200-600mm F/5.6-6.3 G OSS is $1.998/€2.100.

The Sony FE 600mm F/4 GM OSS is $12.998, which is pretty similar to the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM or Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 600mm f/4E FL ED VR.

What do you think of these new super telephoto lenses? Do they seem useful to you? Let us know in the comments!